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* Can you believe Randy Newsom is 7-for-7 in save opportunities? Truthfully, I can. He is one special kid, and I don't mean baseball-wise. Heck, he probably has the least real "baseball" talent of any of the Aeros, but is such a superior human being. His sharp mental state and fun-loving way of looking at the game more than makes up for anything he lacks in skills. I am glad to see a non-drafted kid getting a legimate shot.

* Before talking to reporters after earning his first win as a astarting pitcher at Akron this season on Thursday, Jake Dittler took a minute to retrieve his new baby from his wife to show around the lockerroom. The look on his face as showed off little Andrew was precious. What do you want to bet becoming a father goes a long way in helping Dittler "grow up" on the mound? He's always had decent stuff, it's just been a matter of maturely handling himself on the mound and not letting his emotions get the best of him.

I was at the bank this afternoon and ran into Aeros hitting coach Lee May Jr. He was obviously tired, having just gotten off the team bus a few hours earlier after a long bus ride back to Akron from Portland, Maine. Thank goodness they had Monday off.

Jake Westbrook made a rehab start at Akron Friday night and looked like he needed more rehab time. He said he felt fine, which is good news regarding his left abdominal strain. But in his two rehab starts with Triple-A Buffalo and Akron, he's gotten hit hard. Friday he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in just 2 1/3 innings. I wrote for Saturday's story that results don't usually matter as much as how a guy feels, but in this case, maybe it should mean something.

Before Westbrook's start, there was a flurry of activity in the Aeros lockeroom.

Larry wrote wondering about how high the ceiling is for shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. He figures the Tribe must be getting a little worried about third-base prospect Andy Marte (now at Buffalo). minors and how far Cabrera needs to go before he's MLB ready. It seems like he's surpassed expectations every step of the way, so far.

It's a very relevant question right now as many of us baseball folks have been talking about the same thing a lot lately.

People ask me all the time why the Aeros continue to do well year after year. This is my fifth season covering the team for the Beacon Journal and I always say the same thing:

1) The parent-club Indians continually stock the team with a bulk of its minor-league prospects. It used to be all organizations did this at the Double-A level. But one look at the veteran Curve roster, and you can see they have as many, if not more, free-agent veterans than there are at the Tribe's Triple-A Buffalo level.